The Dancer or the Dance?

A recent article in Education Week trumpets "Schools Integrate Dance into Core Academics".

Hurrah...I think.

I mean, yet again, we are presented with a shining example of Teaching Artists working extremely hard to prove the art's worth and value as a tool to augment a failing educational system’s “core” curriculum.

Johnny still can’t read.

The Achievement Gap is a chasm.

But Arts Integration works! 

Hurrah.

If we can change nothing else, I propose we at least change the term “arts integration” to ARTIST INTEGRATION.

Let's give credit where credit is due.

Is it the art, or the ARTIST that makes the difference?

Is it the DANCER or the Dance?

Is it our art-form that increases levels of student engagement and makes for a better learning environment, or is it us?

Maybe these Teaching Artists are just good teachers?

Perhaps our habits of mind, and the fact that art is a form of communication, make some of us really effective in the classroom?

If the thing formerly known as arts integration is effective, then perhaps  students in teacher training programs should be studying how Teaching Artists operate? We could model best practices.

Also: US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan urges states to cut expensive masters degree bonus programs from the budget. According to an Associated Press article  “Duncan told the American Enterprise Institute on Wednesday that master's degree bonuses are an example of spending money on something that doesn't work.” At the same event, billionaire Bill Gates said "My own state of Washington has an average salary bump of nearly $11,000 for a master's degree - and more than half of our teachers get it. That's more than $300 million every year that doesn't help kids.”

OMG. I thought they wanted us to enter the world of higher education. I'm so confused!

Baseball Hero

Beyond Baseball: The Life of Roberto Clemente is a website maintained by the Smithsonian. The classroom portion of the site introduces students and teachers to the famous baseball player and humanitarian through visual arts, drama, and language arts exercises. Of course, it's free, and we like that.

Download the curriculum guide
Adobe Acrobat Required
Grades 6-8.

Also: It's Friday and ATA is on Facebook with all the other teaching artists. Are you still there?

I Want To Go To There

I was surfing over at Partners for Arts Education, and I followed a link to read about one of their school partnership initiatives called Arts In Mind.

The mission statement:

"The mission of Arts in Mind is to increase potential for student achievement through more equitable access, alignment, integration, and professional development of cultural resources into whole-school planning."

Sometimes, I recognize words, but the full meaning eludes me. I usually just keep reading.

Then, this:

"Professional Development - Teachers and teaching artists train and plan together to develop best practices for their classrooms."

Voila!

The Spark

The Empire State Partnership’s Summer Seminar will be held July 19 – 23, 2009 at C.W. Post Campus, Long Island University in Brookville, New York.

 

This year, you should expect to join more than 350 arts-in-education professionals exploring the theme, "Creativity as Catalyst."

 

Designed to support arts integration partnerships between cultural organizations and schools, the seminar will feature a variety of workshops, creativity labs, discussion groups, keynote address and plenary meetings for teachers, teaching artists and administrators.

 

The deadline for registration is July 3, 2009.

Can you repeat the question?

Over at the NYU Educational Theater blog, the valiant Dennis Baker, who is a grad student and a working TA, shares and reflects on a meeting he attended at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC).

NJPAC has an extensive residency program in the schools, the goals of which they are apparently reevaluating. Teaching Artists were invited to discuss the shape of the elephant commonly referred to as Arts Integration vs. Art for Arts' Sake.

Dennis reports:

"...the schools are questioning the importance of paying for the students to learn acting/theater techniques. This lead into questioning whether NJPAC should offer a more arts integrated program where the teaching artists go into the classroom and use theater skills to teach subjects in history, science and English classes."

It's a big question, and apparently an eternal one, because we keep hashing it out.

We keep coming back to it.

Like moths to a flame.

Ouch.